Midfield Marauder

by Eddie Childs | Men's Book Atlanta magazine | November 18, 2011

No one can say that Falcons middle linebacker Curtis Lofton takes his role lightly. After three years of slugging it out in the trenches, this explosive tackler has emerged as a foundation for Atlanta’s defensive squad—both with his on-field presence and leadership capabilities. “I always joke that the quarterback is the middle linebacker of the offense… not the other way around,” Lofton says. “[The middle linebacker gives] all the calls, makes all the adjustments and gets everybody in the right spot. It’s a challenge I look forward to every week.”

Selected No. 37 overall in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft, he joined the team alongside quarterback Matt Ryan, wide receiver Harry Douglas and offensive tackle Sam Baker. In tandem with head coach Mike Smith, they represented renewed hope for the struggling Falcons franchise, following a difficult season that saw Michael Vick’s indictment and former coach Bobby Petrino’s late-season departure to Arkansas.

Despite the uncertainty that comes with playing as a rookie starter under a new system, Lofton has grown into his role quickly. As scouts, opponents and teammates have observed, he instinctively attacks incipient plays with a rare combination of downhill speed and lateral movement. “Sean Weatherspoon calls me ‘Five-Oh’ because my jersey number is 50,” he says, referencing the reputation he’s developed. “And then people just started calling me ‘the Police,’ because I have so many tackles and I always get my guy.”

During his days with the Oklahoma Sooners, Lofton was named an All-American and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (both in 2007). Impressively, he was also an honor student at the time. Originally from Kingfisher, Okla., the 25-year-old Suwanee, Ga., resident says moving to Atlanta precipitated something of a culture shock. “My hometown is about 5,000 people, and my high school graduating class had 73 students, so Atlanta is huge,” Lofton says. “But I’m finally getting settled. I love the different cultures, restaurants here. Really, this city has something for everybody—jazz, the blues, comedy. That’s what I love about it.”

Music, in fact, plays a large role in Lofton’s life. When he isn’t crushing skulls on the gridiron, he plays bass in a local band. “I’ve got five or six bass lines down that I can play pretty well, and the guys just go off that,” he says.

Lofton says that playing bass and watching movies filled his time during the recent lockout, which he freely admits he enjoyed. “There’s more time for your body to heal up, so you’re fresh going into the season,” he says. “But on the flip side, you’re not in form once the season starts. That’s the only bad part.”

The current season has been a roller-coaster ride so far for Lofton and his Dirty Birds. Highlights have included a decisive win against the Carolina Panthers and an underdog victory against the Philadelphia Eagles, though the Falcons also have suffered from lackluster performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a crushing defeat at the hands of reigning Super Bowl Champions, the Green Bay Packers. “It was a tough game, but I feel like we’re getting better,” he says. “People don’t realize Green Bay started last year losing a ton of games and then came on hot later. I feel like we laid the blueprint of how to beat them. I’d love to play them again.”